Portland Sunrise Satellite Rotary - News Flash! TONIGHT!
Tonight - Wed November 16th, our satellite club will be having a social gathering at Salvage BBQ, 919 Congress Street, 5:30pm. Everyone is invited to share in fellowship! C'mon down!
This Week's Speaker: Tatsiana Thomson - Watching & Feeding Birds – Good for you, Good for Nature, Good for Humanity!
Born in Ukraine and raised in East Germany and Belarus, Tatsiana developed a passion for travel and languages at a very young age. Spending a school year as an exchange student in rural Vermont then obtaining her Masters in Languages she worked as a translator for a Children’s Charity helping coordinate international aid efforts after the Chernobyl crisis. Feeling the need to constantly expand her horizons, Tatsiana decided to leave Europe and work abroad as a child educator.
Shortly after arriving in Canada in 2006 Tatsiana discovered a love of birds and our natural environment. Since 2014 she has been working with Brome Bird Care educating people about birds and the joys of bird feeding through social media and Brome Bird News, a bi-weekly web series now in its 7th year of production.
She currently lives with her husband, two boys and a dog in the Eastern Townships - a quiet bucolic area between Montreal and the US border.
Meeting of November 11th: Chip Morrison -Braver Angels |by Tom Talbott
When asked to run for political office, something like Mayor, Chip replied, “People will remember that I was the guy who led the group to try to join Lewiston and Auburn, and got whacked.!” However, he noted, he was here to talk about politics, as an Independent, and he started by saying our country is in a rough place right now. Polarization, bitterness, and rancor, have Americans fighting against each other. We’ve survived a lot, but will we survive this?
Chip sought to involve himself with a growing national organization named “Braver Angels”. The mission is based on four guiding principles that work to help people with differing points of political view come together, to at least talk and communicate in a civil manner. The common goal is solutions to issues.
Respect. We will talk about citizens on the other side of an issue with respect for their intelligence and goodwill.
Humility. We will talk about our own side with the understanding that our leaders are not perfect, and that our policies and solutions are not complete.
Honesty. We will allow people to feel what they are feeling. We will not ask them to hide their joy if their candidates won, and not ask them to hide their grief and anger if their candidates lost.
Responsible citizenship. It is up to all of us, we the people, must depolarize our politics and work together on issues. If we took labels off people and put them to work, they’d solve common problems.
Said Chip, "If you’re heartsick about the rancor tearing us apart, if you believe that your opponents should not be your enemies, if you believe that America’s best days can be ahead of her, you need Braver Angels and we need you. The mission is to bring conservatives and progressives together on equal terms to understand our differences, find common ground where it exists, and help the country we all love find a better way."
In Maine, there is one Braver Angels alliance, by the name of “Building Bridges Maine”. With people throughout the state, they meet once a month, host workshops, all on zoom. Senator Collins and King have both participated in these programs.
Practical politics win, and this past election was a win for the centrists. Practical action won over ideology.
The Braver Angels national convention is slated for July 5-8, 2023, at Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA.
Bits and Pieces | by Jake Bourdeau
Gervin Kah started the meeting leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
In honor of Veteran’s day, Dave Small’s invocation began with a historical summary of Veteran’s Day including how the names and dates of the holiday have changed with time and under various presidents. Dave later read a poem about America which referred to many facets of our armed forces.
Veterans Day Salute!
Mick Weldon introduced the guests which include three (3) visiting Rotarians, and seven veterans who served in the US Navy, Army, the Air Force, and even the Peace Corps.
We appreciate our Veterans in attendance! L-R Richard L'Heureux, USN- Ret, Bob McCarthy, US Army, Clay Atkinson, US Army, Jack Sullivan (rear), US Navy and Portland Rotarian Bruce Moore, USAF.
In the Cards
Bowen Depke ran the raffle with $220 in the pot. Ralph, a veteran and guest, won his opportunity to pick the Queen of Hearts from the deck. Ralph selected the five of diamonds instead which lets the pot increase for another week.
Polio Plus Society
Brenda Cressey, from the Ogunquit Rotary Club, is the Polio Foundation Fund Chair and spoke about the Polio Plus Society and the donations that the our members have made. She noted special recognition of the Veterans Day with her husband being in the Army, and she thanked the many Rotarians that volunteered to host a seamless Committee Foundation event last Friday night.
Brenda noted how Polio Plus members pledge to donate a minimum of $100/yr until Polio is eradicated. Currently, polio is found in two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and one polio case closer to home in NYC. The person in NYC was not vaccinated, and is unfortunately paralyzed from this awful disease.
Over the years, Bill Blount asked if Brenda could supply us with just how many dollars have been raised through Portland members over the years, adding that back in the early years, President Naj Lotfey led the charge for $100,000 in donations.
Our Polio Plus Society Members at our meeting included, in front -Brenda Cressey and Patty Byers on the flag, supported by Bruce Moore, David Small, Dick Hall, Jim Willey, Amy Chipman, and Jan Chapman. Thank you all for your support and contributions to Polio Plus!
International Service Committee News
Erik Grevin from the International Service Committee spoke about the history of the committee, including Roger Fagan’s visits to India 20 years ago. Roger, Liz Fagan and their team brought and fitted hearing aids for those in need. Later the focus would shift from India to the Dominican Republic. The Club was very active with trips to the DR until Covid. Hearing aids allow kids to keep pace in school, otherwise, deaf people in their society are left behind.
Other Club international efforts include 3-D printing of prosthetics for those in the Dominican Republic who may have lost an arm or hand in the harvest as well as through violence. Providing water filters and filter sand are also part of the current efforts being managed and run remotely by club members. Club representatives will be speaking about the international efforts in the upcoming meetings, so please attend and learn more about these opportunities.
Winter Boot Drive Kicks Butt!
Amy Chipman announced that the winter boots drive met the project goals and is now complete for the year. The goal was to provide 175 pairs of boots through the Portland School Hub for homeless and new Mainers in 1st through 8th grades. At a minimum, 50 boots were donated or purchased through Lamey Wellehan, 20 pairs were donated by members, and Goodwill contributed 70 pairs of gently used boots. Money for the boots included $2,700 raised by the membership, $250 donated by the Sunrise Club, and PTG’s donation of his recent raffle winnings. So far, 187 pairs of boots were donated, and there is money left over for next year’s efforts. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Thanksgiving Dinner - Volunteers Needed!
The St Vincent DePaul’s Thanksgiving dinner will be held on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving this year, and sign-up sheets were on the tables. Feel free to bring family members to help set up, serve, and/or clean-up. The event will be held at 301 Congress Street in Portland, Maine.
Imagine a world without polio.
With your help we can eliminate this devastating disease! Please join us.
November 25 - No Meeting. Enjoy Your Thanksgiving!
December 2 - Keram Derdag, COO Great Works Internet, Expanding Broadband
Please note that our Sunrise Satellite club will not hold a meeting on Wednesday, November 23rd. Happy Thanksgiving! Meetings will resume on their regular schedule of the 1st and 4th Wednesdays, via Zoom, on Dec 7th.
Club Executives President Bruce Jones President Elect Dick Hall Vice President Patty Byers Treasurer Dick Hall Secretary Bill Blount Board of Directors Ellen Niewoehner,
Bob Clark, John Thompson, Ben Millick,
Quinn Slayton Sergeant-At-Arms Jake Bourdeau
The Windjammer is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
Contributing Editors Bill Blount, Jake Bourdeau, Dick Hall,
Erik Jorgensen, Julie L’Heureux, Ben Lowry,
Tom Nickerson, Tom Talbott, Laura Young
1st Q Program Chair:Dave Putnam Managing Editor Tom Talbott
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